Professional Conduct
NBCOT has a responsibility to promote and maintain standards of professional conduct in occupational therapy practice.
In order to protect the public, certificants and exam applicants must abide by the Practice Standards and Code of Conduct. Certificants must disclose any criminal, legal, or other disciplinary matters within 60 days of such matter by sending an email to professional.conduct@nbcot.org. Those who violate the Code of Conduct are subject to the Procedures for the Enforcement of the NBCOT Code of Conduct. When renewing certification, certificants must agree to abide by the NBCOT Certificant Attestation.
The NBCOT Code of Conduct enables NBCOT to define and clarify the professional responsibilities for present and future NBCOT certificants. In order to earn and maintain the confidence and respect of recipients of occupational therapy, colleagues, employers, students, and the public, it is vital that NBCOT certificants act in a professional manner consistent with the Practice Standards and responsibilities set forth in the Code of Conduct.
The NBCOT Practice Standards provide guidelines that can help certificants determine what they should and should not do when providing services to clients. These Standards represent the expectations of NBCOT and may be used to evaluate performance for ongoing professional development and/or disciplinary action.
The Procedures for the Enforcement of the NBCOT Code of Conduct enable NBCOT to protect the rights of certificants and exam applicants who have violated the Code, and to act fairly in the performance of its responsibilities as a certifying agency to the public.
NBCOT has jurisdiction over all:
- Individuals who have been certified as an OTR® or COTA®
- Individuals who have applied for certification
- Individuals who have applied for OTED®
- Individuals who have applied for Early Determination Review
For an overview of NBCOT's disciplinary action process, review this graphic.
This summary is a national resource for consumers of occupational therapy services, the general public, regulatory agencies, and employers.
